Get your Politiken Edition subscription

The number of Europeans dying is at a record high, and Europe’s entire economic growth is being eaten up by repeated heat waves. So why would Danish politicians and the E.U. rather talk about migrants than about the climate?

»Spiral of silence«: Despite a record-devastating summer, we’d rather talk about migrants than the climate

From Moutchic beach in southwestern France, sunbathing tourists can look across at the plumes of smoke from wildfires on July 24. Record swaths of land have burned in France this summer. Foto: Maximilien Lamy/Ritzau Scanpix
From Moutchic beach in southwestern France, sunbathing tourists can look across at the plumes of smoke from wildfires on July 24. Record swaths of land have burned in France this summer. Foto: Maximilien Lamy/Ritzau Scanpix

As recently as Tuesday, it happened again when Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokratiet, S) presented the government’s work program. The first thing she mentioned was the »very violent« and »very worrying« events in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where 72,000 migrants swam ashore within a few hours on July 31. According to the prime minister, it shows the need for »immigration policy to be strict and remain fixed for both Denmark and Europe«.

What Mette Frederiksen did not mention was the record-hot summer that has led to 30,000 additional deaths in Europe. Two hundred thousand people were evacuated because of wildfires in France alone. England is facing record drought. And according to the Dutch Triodos Bank, the economic consequences of climate change are becoming so costly that they will wipe out all economic growth in the European Union this year.

This is for subscribers' eyes only

But don’t you worry. Your Politiken Edition subscription is just one click away. We are looking forward to bringing you a handpicked selection of Politiken's stories - translated into English. Your subscription includes unlimited access to The New York Times.

Subscribe now
Already a subscriber? Welcome back. Sign in here
Edition 2

Mest læste

    1

  1. Folkekomedien kaster lange og katastrofale skygger i Price-brødrenes seneste eskapade

    2. 2

  2. Pludselig får sikkerhedsfolkene travlt med at genne statslederne mod kælderen

    3. 3

  3. Smag af tyggegummi og tivoliguf: Test af vaniljeis: Vinderen er længder foran alle de andre

    4. 4

  4. Pludselig brugte vores teenager et begreb, som perfekt forklarede, hvorfor min generation har opgivet at ændre verden

    5. 5

  5. Hun spiller blændende godt

    6. 6

  6. Der findes noget værre end at bryde et politisk løfte: at gennemføre det, når man ved, det er en dårlig idé

PodcastSe alle
Uanset hvor velfungerende en grønlandsk familie man er en del af, så lurer frygten for, at andre danskere skal se skævt til en og dømme en ude, bare fordi man er grønlænder, fortæller Sorlannguaq Maria Ravn.

© All material on this page is subject to the applicable copyright law.Read policy